Greymouth facts that change a plumbing job
Rain, and plenty of it
NIWA's annual rainfall normal for Greymouth is 2,452 mm. It averages 201 days a year with some rain and 173 with at least 1 mm.
Coal is still common
At the 2023 Census, 25.8% of Greymouth homes used a coal burner as a main heat source, against 0.7% nationally. Wood burners and heat pumps were each at 47.9%; nationally, heat pumps are at 66.8%.
Wind, not frost
NIWA puts Greymouth at about 2 days a year below freezing, against 14 in Hokitika. Wind is the bigger force: 46 days a year with gusts over 61 km/hr, and a West Coast record gust of 140.8 km/hr at Greymouth on 17 April 2014. Check outdoor cylinders, flues and roof fittings after a big blow.
Damp homes
1.9% of homes were always damp and 18.2% sometimes damp in 2023, a little above the national 15.8% for sometimes.
Downpipes, drains and who does what
The law's definition of a drain leaves out roof downpipes. The underground pipes they empty into are drains, though, and laying, altering or repairing those is drainlaying, which needs an authorised drainlayer.
You can clear a blocked drain yourself, PGDB says, as long as you don't alter or repair the inspection or vent pipe. If a stormwater drain keeps backing up in heavy rain, a drainlayer can find out why, for example with a camera inspection. See stormwater drains and CCTV drain inspections.
Greymouth's water
Grey District Council runs Greymouth's water now. Coast Waters Limited, the water company being set up for the Buller, Grey and Westland districts, is due to go live on 1 July 2027.
Grey District Council's pipe-ownership rule is one we couldn't read, so ask the council where its pipe stops before work at the toby. For work on your side, ask to see the tradie's PGDB licence and check the expiry date; the register will confirm it's current if you search their full name.
Down the coast
Hokitika and the West Coast region. Jobs: blocked drains, drainlayers, wetbacks and leak detection.
What we would do
In Greymouth, keep the water moving off the roof and away from the house. Clear gutters and downpipes before winter, and if the yard ponds or a gully trap overflows every time it pours, get a drainlayer to look at the stormwater drain rather than living with it. If your coal range or fire heats the water, mention it whenever the cylinder needs work. For anything at the boundary, ask Grey District Council; for drains, cylinders and leaks on your side, a Greymouth tradie who specialises in that work can take the job through us.